Islamabad, Pakistan (November 14, 2024) – CIRCLE Women Association organized the Aurora Tech x CIRCLE Women’s event in Pakistan, with NIC Islamabad as Co-Host. Aurora Tech Award, initiated by inDrive, is a global initiative for women-led startups in innovation and technology. Aurora Tech Award highly supports and invests in Pakistan, a country with less than 1% women in tech entrepreneurship.
The event brought together 30 talented women entrepreneurs to celebrate their achievements and inspire future generations. A highlight of the event was the “Women of the Future” segment, which showcased 10 promising startups, including Agrigel, a second-place winner from the She Loves Tech National Finale. It also brought together industry leads from WECREATE, TIE Islamabad, Telenor Velocity, Incubation Centers and World Bank.
CIRCLE Talks titled “Women’s Access to Capital: Investing in Women” featured industry experts, Kiran Afzal, Senior Private Sector Specialist – World Bank, Baber Mushtaq, Startup Growth Manager – NIC Islamabad and Dr Irum Naveed, Life Coach, who delved into the challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Moderated by Sadaffe Abid, Founder and CEO of CIRCLE Women, the panel provided valuable insights and strategies for expanding the growth of women-led startups.
The event was graced by the Chief Guest, Mr. Zarrar Hasham Khan, the Federal Secretary of IT and Telecommunications in Pakistan and Teressa Couture, former Director at World Bank. InDrive representative, Hasan Ali Qureshi, Senior Business Developer.
Five innovative startups took the stage to pitch their groundbreaking solutions to the audience. These startups—Eyesmarty, Digital Diva, Agrigel, KangarooCare AI, and Studio A—each presented their unique contributions to the ecosystem, showcasing the impact they aim to create. Among these remarkable ventures were two She Loves Tech National Finale winners: Kubra Mehmood, Co-Founder of Agrigel, who secured 2nd place, and Islam Un Nisa, Co-Founder of KangarooCare AI, the 1st place winner. Their achievements reflect the transformative potential of women-led innovation in tech
Sadaffe Abid emphasized the importance of such initiatives in a country where women’s representation in entrepreneurship is limited. “By hosting the Aurora Tech Award, we aim to empower women and create a more inclusive tech ecosystem in Pakistan,” she said.
With a pool of partners – Meezan Bank and Mobilink WIN Incubator as Community Partners – and NICAT, NIC Karachi, Daftarkhwan and PASHA as outreach partners, CIRCLE Women pulled off a successful event, with the primary goal of this event being to increase awareness of the Aurora Tech Award and encourage more women entrepreneurs to apply and benefit from this global platform.
Through this event, CIRCLE Women continues to champion women’s empowerment and foster innovation in Pakistan.
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